How Is Shinto Similar To Confucianism

Japanese religious tradition is made up of a few separate groups, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Shinto. Christianity was only a small change in Japan. However, these religions have impacted Japanese religious life today.

Shintoism: The Way of the Kami. Israel defines Kami as spirits that affiliate with natural objects such as the sun and the moon. In the opening of Buddha in the Land of the Kami, the narrator shares the historical background of the Kami, stating that a spiritual duo came down to Earth to stir up the sea waters, creating the archipelago of Japan. The sprits figure out reproduction and multiply, inhabiting the chain of Islands known as Japan. The narrators also mention the Kami in mountains, wind, grass and other natural entities. According to the film, spiritual rituals performed in earlier eras show continuity in Shinto shrines today. Israel explains that later, during the Asuka-Nara Period, The Yamato high courts establish a system that would monitor Shinto shrines. “The Yomato court developed a centralized

• The historical significance of the phrase Shinto is that it is a type of religion that was based on respect for the forces of nature and on the worship of ancestors. Also, worshippers believed in kami which are divine spirits that lived in nature. Shinto religion was also influenced by the Koreans because they introduced Buddhism to them. Some Buddhist rituals became Shinto rituals. This made the Japanese take an interest in the Chinese writing system, art, and the Chinese styles of simple arts of everyday life.

Kanetomo’s description of Honjaku-engi reveals that this type of Shinto was heavily influenced by the shrine traditions during that time. Based on Kanetomo’s definition of Honjaku-engi, I believe that this type of Shinto connects people with their spirituality through shrine rituals. By passing down the stories, secrets, and rituals of the Kami worshipped at the shrine, worshippers are able to connect the physical world with the spiritual world (Debary 352).

Firstly, the traditions within Shintoism were important to help the Japanese people to connect with their ancestors and the nature around them. The word ‘Shinto’ itself means way of the gods. It is as old as the Japanese culture and was the only religion in Japan until the 6th century. According to the Shinto religion, there exists a basic life force called kami. Kami are close to human beings and respond to human prayers. They can influence the course of natural forces, and human events. Shinto tradition says that there are eight million kami in Japan. Due to their deep respect and love for nature and Japan itself, many shrines were set up in places of natural beauty. Followers went to pray here to receive good fortune and samurai would often go to the shrines to pray for victory before and after battle. Shinto’s traditions involved having a clean lifestyle. They washed and bathed everyday which made most of japan a fresh

Shinto has no orthodox cannon of sacred literature and has no explicit code of ethical requirements. It varies very differently from most religions in that aspect, however the Japanese people still believe in it as strongly as they have in ancient times. Shinto managed to survived even though it was disestablished in 1946, when the Emperor lost his divine status as part of the allied reformation of Japan (Shinto History 2009). It goes to show the true strength of faith that people had to continue with the religion even though everything was against

Shintoism is an ancient religion that predominates modern japan but it has undergone many changes to compete with many foreign religions such as Christianity. Does Shintoism need to conform to compete with Christianity better yet does it really need to compete with other religions anyway? The main sentiment that comes with foreign religions is to explain the creation of the universe usually depicting a divine being or god while Shintoism mainly tries to empower the mysteries of the universe rather than to explain them. Shintoism also through the most part lacks a holy book since most of the practices and ideas where spread through story tellers this causes an issue since foreign countries have to explain Shintoism on their own which make it look barbaric in comparison. The early history of Shintoism may shed some light on this argument to understand some of the reason for the Shinto conformation.

Shinto and Buddhism are two different traditions that have flourished in Japan for hundreds of years. Generally, followers from one of the traditions tend to follow the guidance of the other as well, which makes the relationship between Shinto and Buddhism very rare in world religions. At first, when these two traditions contacted each other in ancient Japan, there was a lot of confusion, but eventually they were able to coexist. However, even though Buddhism and Shinto share similarities regarding flexibility and independence, there are more differences between them proven by Buddhism’s spread to ancient Japan, their contrasting practices and beliefs and the different outlooks on the afterlife.

As said before a patient may practice Shinto in conjunction with another religion such as Buddhism and even Christianity. The spiritual perception of healing in regards to Shintoism is that health is associated with purity. The critical components of healing may include ritual cleansing, prayer or other spiritual practices from combining religions with Shintoism. An important thing for healthcare workers to be aware of when caring for a patient of the Shinto faith is that death and illness are considered impure and it may be difficult to have a conversation regarding end of life care (Queensland Health, 2011). The four affirmations of Shinto can help health care providers understand the Shinto faith. These affirmations include: tradition and the family, family is considered the foundation for maintaining traditions; love of nature, Shinto holds nature sacred; ritual purity, this includes ritual bathing to spiritually and physically cleanse before entering a shrine to worship the kami; matsuri, which is the worshipping and honoring of the kami and ancestral spirits (BBC Religions, 2013).

Within all religions, there is a belief in beings that live around us and can have the means to answer certain prayers. Kami is a term used in Shintoism as spirits that live closely with human beings, which are ‘anything out of the ordinary, awe-inspiring, mysterious, powerful, marvelous, and beyond human control or comprehension.’ (Brood 318) Kami is often associated with ancestors and loved ones who have passed on from the world of the living or even evil being who wish to do harm to those still living. Shintoism states that many of these Kami can have the power to not only alter human events but can also influence natural forces. Kami when applied to spirits that live in things is a way to attach a meaning to the word, but it also applies

There are a number of similarities between the eastern religions and philosophies of Confucianism, Buddhism and Hinduism. While Hinduism is centered around a supreme being, Buddhism and Confucianism are centered around the teachings of a man. Each encourages moral behavior, ethical values, such as non-violence, charity, and a respect for the universe. To better understand the philosophical similarities and differences between Confucianism, Buddhism and Hinduism, it is important first to consider the teachings of Buddha, Patanjali and Confucius in their historical context.

When approaching the shrine of a Kami, it is custom to wash the hands and mouth with water from a chozuya, or pavilion for cleansing one’s self (Nakano, para 5). It is then custom to bow at the altar and ring the bell to call the deities attention (Nakano, para 5). Before beginning the prayer, a small offering is made to the Kami (Nakano, para 5). It is then custom bow twice, with the first bow being at 90 degrees to show respect to the deity, and clap twice (Nakano, para 5). Then the hands are placed together and the right hand is shifted down slightly (Nakano, para 5). Then the person claps and is purified by otodama. A small prayer to the Kami may then be made When finished, it is customary to bow at 90 degrees, back up three steps and bow again, making sure that you do not turn your back to the deity of the shrine (Nakano, para 5). This process shows the strength of the Shinto religion by the people of Japan, and the necessary rituals they undergo to pay respect to a Kami or spirit. These ancient customs have been passed down from generation to generation and continue to this day in the same manor that they were conducted hundreds of years ago (Nakano, para 5).

Since Japan's earliest days, Shinto has been the code of honor and action for the Japanese. It is also a polytheistic religion, they believe there is a God for everything.(brittanica)

One of the key aspects of Shinto, and an aspect that made it somewhat difficult for me to study in a more isolated context, is the flexibility of it. Unlike the Abrahamic religions, there is no strict religious doctrine or meticulous set of rules that governs the practitioners. Instead, it's much more a conceptual idea that carries with it various commonalities, specifically in terms of practices and a very nature-based system of deities (Religions of the World). Although, despite Japan's more isolated society, they did share certain ideas with other Eastern religions, such as a focus on the cosmos and harmony with nature and others (Return of the Gods).

deities act “harmoniously” with one another. Nature, in turn, is a vital part of both the spiritual world and the human world; “Japanese love and reverence for nature lies at the root of Shinto”. For many other religions, this is not the case. For Western religions, the “Creator and the created, and the human and natural realms” do not relate with one another immediately. The Shinto religion can again be seen acting in a more spiritual way than any other religion. The spirituality of Shinto and its people can be expressed further: